A camera captures an image by recording the light that enters its aperture, from a subject. In order to improve the quality of an image in low light conditions, many cameras use an electronic flash. An electronic flash is arranged so that at the time that the image is captured, a burst of light is emitted in the direction from which the image is captured, improving the quality of the image.
In some more recent devices, a movable camera element is used. The camera element may rotate about an axis, enabling a user to capture images, from a plurality of directions relative to the main body of the device. Rotatable cameras are particularly popular in mobile telephones, as they enable the camera to be directed towards the user of that mobile telephone during video calls and they enable the user to capture images from a direction away from him at other times.
Portable electronic devices that incorporate such rotatable camera apertures may also incorporate a lighting element to improve the level of light entering the aperture when capturing images in low light conditions. The lighting element is typically a white LED, fixed at a position within the housing of the telephone. If the user rotates the camera to capture images in a different direction, the direction in which light is emitted by the lighting element may no longer correspond with the direction from which images are captured. He may therefore be unable to use the lighting element when capturing such an image.
Alternatively, the user may decide to rotate the whole body of the device to capture an image from a different direction. However, the user may then not be able to see the display.
Flash circuitry is used to drive an electronic flash. Previous proposals have put the whole of the flash circuitry into the movable flash element, to avoid the use of moving contacts, in view of the high current and voltages required by the flash tube. However, this results in a very large movable flash element due to the size of some of the components of the flash circuitry, such as the main capacitor.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable electronic device having a main body, the device comprising: a camera arrangement for capturing images in a plurality of directions relative to the main body of the device; a lighting element; and a reflector, at least a portion of which is movable about the lighting element to change the direction of light reflected from the lighting element.
The camera arrangement may comprise a camera with an aperture movable relative to the main body to change the direction from which images are captured. The camera aperture may be movable by a user. The camera aperture may be movable by rotation.
The reflector may be movable by a user. The reflector may be movable by rotation around the lighting element. The camera aperture and the reflector may be movable by rotation around substantially parallel axes. The camera aperture and the reflector may be movable by rotation around substantially the same axis.
The device may further comprise coupling means acting between the reflector and the camera arrangement and so arranged that movement of the camera aperture causes movement of the reflector. The coupling means may be arranged to provide at least two positions for the camera aperture at which there is substantial alignment between the direction from which images are captured and the direction to which light is reflected, in use, by the reflector.
The camera arrangement may be for capturing images in a first direction and in a second direction which is substantially opposite to the first direction. The reflector may have a curved surface. The reflector may be paraboloidal. The lighting element may have an elongate portion and the reflector may be movable around the elongate portion.
The lighting element may be fixedly positioned in the main body. The device may further comprise drive circuitry which is fixedly positioned in the main body of the device to operate the lighting element. The electrical connector that connects the lighting element and the drive circuit may be fixedly positioned in the main body.
The lighting element may comprise a xenon tube. The reflector may be electrically connected to a voltage source and the xenon may be at least partially ionisable by the application of a voltage to the reflector. The electrical connection between the reflector and the voltage source may have a movable connection point at the reflector. Movement of the reflector may cause the connection point at the reflector to move. The electrical connection between the reflector and the voltage source may have a fixed connection point at the reflector.
The reflector may comprise two co-operating separate reflecting parts that are arranged for relative movement. A first part of the reflector may be rotatable about the lighting element and a second part of the reflector may be fixed in relation to the main body of the device. An electrical connection between the second fixed part of the reflector and a voltage source may have a fixed connection point at the second fixed part of the reflector.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of capturing an image using a portable electronic device having a camera arrangement for capturing images in a plurality of directions and a lighting element, comprising: moving at least a portion of a reflector about the lighting element to change the direction of light from the lighting element; and capturing an image with the camera arrangement using the directed light from the lighting element.
The camera arrangement may be adjusted to change the direction from which images are captured, to correspond with the direction to which light is directed by the reflector.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera lighting arrangement for providing illumination in one of multiple directions, comprising: a lighting element; and a curved reflector, at least a portion of which is rotatable about the lighting element to position a gap through which illumination is provided wherein the lighting element is located between the gap and the rotatable portion of the reflector.